There are many high-quality products and services out there. There are also many low-cost ones. What makes a business succeed in a heavily competitive environment is often the brand! When competition is stiff, building a strong brand is often your way to connect with your audience and make some sales.
Here are our top tips for building your brand in 2024:
Be Human
The world is full of different companies, and you are always bombarded with different messaging. There are new technologies all the time, such as Virtual Reality and AI. People are doing more and experimenting with more. Here’s the thing: you have to touch people in a meaningful way, and this means making a human connection.
“People do not buy goods and services. They buy relations, stories, and magic.” – Seth Godin
Here are some ways we recommend:
- Respond on social media: Respond to comments and messages. This shows you are accessible and that there are real people behind the brand. Example: Wendy’s is famous for its witty and timely responses on Twitter, which helps humanize the brand and engage with its audience in a fun way.
- Personalize your messages: Address customers by their names when possible and adjust the messaging based on their interests, demographics, and behaviors. For example, acknowledge a repeat customer by saying “welcome back” or giving them rewards.
- Tell your story and the story of your customers: When you, your brand, and your products have a background story that resonates with customers, it makes them feel much more connected and committed. Example: TOMS Shoes shares the story of its founder and the company’s mission to donate some of their profits, which resonates deeply with socially conscious consumers.
Strong Brand Aesthetics with Consistency
You can be as friendly as possible, but if your branding is unattractive or inconsistent across channels, then you are not as strong as you can be. Here are the steps we recommend:
- Have a fitting name based on your story: This choice is up to you. It takes time to find the right name, but don’t overthink it for too long. Some people go for something meaningful while others keep it short and give it meaning afterward.
- Create a great logo to reflect your name and story: Your logo is often the first thing people see in your marketing and business. Ensure it’s modern, stands out, and is able to attach itself to your story.
- Establish a Brand Guide: A brand guide is a lasting investment at the early stages of a new business or a rebranding. It outlines your brand colors, voice, font usage, and logo usage, so you, your designers, or partners can have something to follow when producing any material for your business.
- Start Creating Material: Now that you have your brand guide, start creating marketing and communication materials with your logo and branding style, such as PDFs, menus, website pages, signage, etc.
Don’t Compromise on Quality
Every strong brand mustn’t compromise on quality. At the end of the day, your product and brand can have a good look and feel, but if it doesn’t function as it should or as well as competitors, you’re going to lose!
“Quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten.” – Aldo Gucci
Communicating your Brand at Multiple Touchpoints
One of the things great brands do is communicate with customers at multiple touchpoints along their journey. It is also important to note that this communication should follow brand guidelines and language, ensuring continuous comfort and familiarity for the customer.
Use Brand Advocacy Techniques
If people share strong positive feelings for your brand, that will resonate well with others, whether it’s employees or customers. Here are some of our recommended ways to build and maintain advocacy:
- Influencer Partnerships: Collaborate with influencers who share your brand values and have loyal followers who fall within your target markets. Have them create and publish content featuring your products or services.
- Empower Employees: This one can be challenging. It takes lots of time and energy to build a business up to the level where employees have great pride in what they do and it’s not just for a paycheck. If you are already on the right path of fostering a great work environment, be sure to encourage employees to share their positive experiences and insights on your social media as well as their own personal profiles. You may also provide them with the right material and resources to effectively advocate for your brand.
- Customer Testimonials and Reviews: Ask happy customers to leave positive reviews on your website or social media platforms.
- Loyalty Program: Offer incentives such as discounts, free products, or exclusive access to loyal customers who advocate for your brand. Create a referral program where customers can earn rewards for bringing in new customers.
Conclusion
Building a strong brand is an ongoing journey. By fostering human connections, maintaining consistent and appealing aesthetics, prioritizing quality, communicating across multiple touchpoints, and leveraging advocacy, you can create a memorable brand that stands out in 2024. Stay authentic, evolve, and continually engage with your audience.
